Victims of latest U.S. mass shooting identified, Hispanic shooter not named yet

Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland United States has identified the three slain victims of the latest mass shooting in the country.

According to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office, all of the victims and the suspect were current employees of Columbia Machine, Inc.

“The deceased victims include:Mark Alan Frey, a 50-year-old white male;
Charles Edward Minnick Jr., a 31-year-old white male and Joshua Robert Wallace, a 30-year-old white male.

“The injured victim was identified as Brandon Chase Michael, a 42-year-old white male.

“The suspect remains in law enforcement custody at Meritus Medical Center and was identified as a 23-year-old Hispanic male who resides in West Virginia.

“His identity will not be released until charging documents are filed.

The Hispanic gunman opened fire on his co-workers at the manufacturing facility in northern Maryland on Thursday at about 2.30pm, killing at least three people and critically wounding a fourth before being taken into custody after a shootout with police.

The 23-year-old assailant was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a Maryland state trooper while trying to flee in a car, Washington County Sheriff Douglas Mullendore told a news conference.

Both the suspect and trooper were taken to a local hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds in the latest in a series of mass shootings to plague the United States.

“The weapon used at both scenes was a semi-automatic handgun. The exact caliber, make and model are also not being released at this time.

“The motive for the shooting is still under investigation and there remains no active threat to the community.

“We are also relieved to report that, per the Maryland State Police spokesperson, the Trooper that was injured in the exchange of gunfire with the suspect received non-life-threatening injuries and has been treated and released from Meritus Medical Center”, the police said in a statement.

A Columbia Machine spokesperson said the company was cooperating with authorities in their probe into the shooting but declined to comment further.

The company supplies concrete manufacturing equipment to customers in over 100 countries, according to its website.

The Baltimore offices of the FBI and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said they were sending agents to the scene.

Late last month, an 18-year-old man opened fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two teachers.

The killings in Uvalde and a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York that left 10 people dead, have prompted new efforts in U.S. Congress to enact stricter federal gun control laws.